Beautiful Nightmare
by Zoe Marie888
Summary: At the end of s04e05 Peyton re-builds all her walls, but maybe she needs to let somebody in before she can heal properly. Slightly A/U
1. Chapter 1

A/N – so this story has been a work in progress for quite some time, and the ending is still an on-going project which should hopefully be complete soon so that I can continue on with Schwahn Hall. To all my lovely readers who are waiting for the next chapter of that story, it is half-way there, but I've had a million other things on my mind plus I've been out of the country for two weeks.

Anyway, this begins at the end of episode 5 of season 4, linking with episode 6 then goes off on a slight tangent, and it is possibly a four or five chapter story depending on the ending. As always I do not own OTH or any of the characters, and I appreciate any and all feedback xx

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**Beautiful Nightmare**

"Police, hands up!" echoed across the empty street, the blue lights of the cruiser flashed repetitively, and for the second time this year Peyton had a gun pointed at her as she emerged through her smashed front door. She felt her heart rate fly through the ceiling as she counted four guns, but this time they belonged to the 'good' guys, and she instinctively raised her hands.

"It's alright, I live here," she responded in a shaky voice, stepping carefully down the porch steps and wincing slightly with every movement. "He's right out here," she eventually continued, pointing towards a section of grass off to one side that was currently in the shadows.

The beams of their torches followed her movements, and they slowly flickered across the grass in the direction of her pointed finger. The shards of glass and wood, which were all once part of her bedroom window, glittered under the illumination of the torches as they slid rhythmically across the grass.

"Where?" one of the officers questioned, when the only other thing that came into view were various photographs that had been pasted onto her bedroom walls, but had fluttered out of the open window. Peyton stepped towards the wreckage, and she could feel her legs begin to shake. _'Was it possible that he could have survived that fall?' _she wondered, glancing up towards the hole in her house, and she turned away from the carnage, instantly falling into Lucas' arms. Burying her face into the space where his shoulder met with his neck, Peyton felt the fear ripping through her chest causing her whole body to shake as she clung onto Lucas' shirt as though it was a lifeline.

Wrapping his arms protectively around her waist, Lucas could feel the speed of her heart beat through the thin material of his shirt, and he pulled her slightly closer. The police officers swarmed into her house, taking photographic evidence of everything, and he could see their shadows flash through the open bedroom window, but all of his thoughts where on the broken girl in his arms. The shaking had subsided, but she had yet to make any other movements away from him. Glancing down, gently running his fingers through her wild curly hair, Lucas could see the bright white skin of her knuckles as they gripped onto his shirt.

Off to one side he knew that her brother, the real one this time, was trying to explain to the officers what had happened. It was less than an hour ago when they where both at the police station, and by the looks of things that was where they were all heading again. Derek Sommers caught Lucas eye before lowering his gaze to the girl wrapped in his arms as he turned to follow the officer to the nearest car.

Dropping his head so his lips were right by her ear, Lucas whispered her name, trying desperately not to scare her. "Peyt... baby, we need to go down to the station to give our statements," he spoke gently, pulling her slightly closer when she flinched, so the term of endearment that left his lips failed to register. "I'll be with you every step of the way," he reassured her, and she finally lifted her head.

Their eyes connected for a split second, before Peyton dropped her gaze to the floor, and Lucas was shocked when he saw her dull green eyes staring back at him. The fire, which usually burnt so strong inside of her, seemed to have disappeared, and that scared him more than anything else. Wrapping his large hand around her delicate one, he gently led her towards the waiting car, he tried to not act surprised when she slid out of his reach to the furthest corner of the car, wrapping her arms around her chest and closing her eyes. He felt his heart crack watching her, wanting nothing more than to pull her back into his chest to protect her from the world, but he knew her defensive walls were back up, and no-one, not even him could bring them down this time.

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Hours later Peyton was curled up in one of the hospital's plastic chairs waiting to be released, having been poked and prodded to within an inch of her life. After her statement at the station, when she spoke as few words as possible, they had decided to send her here to be checked over. Words like 'shock' were tossed across the room, and she could feel her jaw swelling, but she refused to have any painkillers. Flicking her tongue across her dry lips, she could taste the blood from her split lip, but she refused to react. Lucas had promised her that he would stay with her, but as soon as they reached the station they had been separated and she hadn't seen him since.

Staring at the genetic clock on the wall, she concentrated on the second hand as it slowly rotated, and after what felt like a lifetime to door eventually opened to reveal a stern looking doctor and a mousy haired nurse with a clipboard.

"Miss Sawyer," the doctor began, and she flicked her eyes in his direction before looking down to her knees that were pressed into her chest. "You can go home in a moment, as long as you promise to take your pain medication over the next couple of days, as it will help to reduce the swelling," he began, but Peyton zoned him out, only nodding in agreement when his tone of voice suggested he required an answer.

The mousy haired nurse placed a clipboard in front of her, for Peyton to sign, and she swirled an approximation of her signature onto the dotted line without looking, and the pen was immediately replaced with a small white paper bag.

Stepping out of the sterile hospital into the mid-day sun, she dropped the bag into the first trash can she could see, before sliding into the back of the first available taxi. Mumbling her address, she rested her head against the cool glass, and was thankful that the driver wasn't in a talkative mood.

The squeak of his brakes told her that she was home, and she asked the driver to wait for a moment whilst she went inside to get some money. Ignoring the boarded up side window of her front door, Peyton stepped foot into her hallway and was immediately bombarded with images from the previous night, but she closed her mind to the thoughts. Her bag could be seen peeping out from under the table, having been kicked out of the way by one of the many visitors to her house over the past twelve hours.

Dragging her purse and keys out, and ignoring that half a dozen other contents flew out at the same time, she dropped her bag back to the floor before walking out of her house again, slamming the door behind her on the way.

"Here," she mumbled to the driver, handing him a bunch of bills and dropping her gaze when he looked at her with concern.

"Miss..." he started, but she immediately cut him off, not wanting to hear what he had to say.

"Where is the nearest DIY store?" she questioned, shuffling her feet backwards, and nodding in acknowledgement as he gave her directions. Turning on her heel, she made her way towards her car, sliding into the red leather seat and screeching away from the curb.

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Let me know what you think xx


	2. Chapter 2

A/N well thank you to everyone who took their time to review the first chapter, and because I'm in a good mood, I thought I'd post the next chapter. For the reviewer who did not know what a DIY store is, it stands for Do It Yourself, and is what I suppose a hardwear store is.

As always I do not own OTH or any of the characters, and I just caught up with the end of season 9, and yes I burst into tears (frequently) at the last few episodes Anyways, enjoy x

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Stretching his arms above his head, Lucas squinted into the afternoon sun and spotted his mom walking towards him. Clenching his jaw, he walked towards her wondering how she was going to react to him being in the police station most of the night, but instead of the verbal dressing down he expected, she wrapped her arms around his lankly frame, pressing a kiss to his temple.

"Are you alright?" she demanded, holding him at arms length and scanning his face. Other than some light bruising he seemed perfectly fine, but the worry was still etched on her face.

"Yeah mom, I'm fine," he reassured her, and they began walking back towards her car. "I'm just unbelievably worried about Peyton," he tailed off, sliding into the passenger seat and closing his eyes with exhaustion.

"Well after a shower and a clean set of clothes, you can go check on her," Karen stated firmly, turning the car around and heading towards home. "I'll make you some food in the meantime to take round."

"Thanks mom," he whispered, drifting off to sleep, before waking with a jolt a few minutes later, as her green eyes flashed though his mind. Karen flicked her eyes towards her son, before concentrating on the road again. The look in his eyes when he spoke about Peyton was unnerving, and she could see the concern etched onto every line of his tired face.

Lucas had the quickest shower in the history of man, and he left his blood splattered shirt in a heap on his bedroom floor. It was yet another item of his clothing that was covered in Peyton's blood, and Lucas hoped to god that it would be the last. Shuffling to his computer, he wiggled the mouse to wake it up to check in on Peyton via her webcam, but the small box was solid black with the 'no signal' sign flashing.

Grabbing the brown paper bag filled with takeout boxes that his mom had left in the kitchen, he jogged down the path to his car, and drove the short distance to her house in record time. Glancing over her house he noticed the police had boarded up all her broken windows, and cleaned up the majority of the broken glass from her lawn.

Pushing open her front door, which was unlocked like usual, he tread the familiar route up to her room and he noticed that the entire house was silent. Peyton hated the silence, and usually drowned it out with her loud rock music, but now you could hear a pin drop.

Pushing open her bedroom door, he was met with the sight of Peyton crouched down by her computer, methodically pulling at various wires. She was still dressed in her cheerleading uniform from the previous night, and he could see black bruises beginning to form in patches down her bare legs.

"Peyt?" he questioned, watching as her webcam finally came loose and it flew into the middle of the wooden floor."Peyton are you okay?"

Ignoring him completely, and kicking the mass of wires into the corner, Peyton dropped to her knees and began ripping open a plastic bag, pulling various packets out and producing a mass of screwdrivers from under her bed. Heaped next to the door where three black trash bags and a pair of gloves, and Lucas assumed they contained all of _his_ photographs of her.

"Peyton?" Lucas finally shouted, crouching down in front of her, making her look at him so he could see into her eyes. Immediately her shutters came down and she flinched away from him, instead concentrating on ripping open one of the packets containing a security chain.

"Go away Lucas," she muttered under her breath, stepping around him and throwing the trash bags out onto the landing so that she could get to her bedroom door. Lucas felt his jaw drop open, and he tried to correct it as he straightened back up again, placing the bag of food onto her dresser. He took a small step towards her, and for a split second he saw a flicker behind her eyes, almost making him smile. A reaction, even one of anger directed towards him would be better than the emotionless person stood before him. "What do you want from me?" she questioned, her voice rough from lack of use and she winced slightly as pain shot through her jaw.

Lucas stared at her as she began bolting the chain onto the back of her bedroom door, not exactly sure what answer to give. Glancing in his direction for a split second, Peyton gritted her teeth together. "Just get out Lucas," she told him in a tone of voice that he couldn't argue with. Her walls were back up, higher than ever before, and she wasn't in the mood for him to even try to break them down. He knew they were her coping mechanism, and she just needed time to process the last 24 hours.

"Okay," he eventually conceded with a small sigh."Get some rest and I'll come back first thing in the morning," he took a step towards the door, and she shuffled away towards her bed. His heart wanted to pull her against his chest, but he suppressed the urge. "Don't forget to eat," he whispered, pointing to the bag before turning the corner and heading back down her stairs.

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Shaking her head slightly Peyton concentrated on the screwdriver in her hand, knowing that sleep would be the last thing on her mind until she felt safe within her own house. She knew that she shouldn't be taking it out on Lucas, but she just felt numb. Just being around him was weakening her walls, and if he spoke to her then he would want to know how she was feeling, and currently she was perfectly fine feeling numb.

Dragging the plastic bag closer, she concentrated on the next package, and she was in the process of ripping open the fourth when something occurred to her. Lucas had just walked into her house. _'How stupid could she get?'_ She wondered, her stomach twisting into knots as she pulled open her bedroom door and flew downstairs to click the front door's lock into place, and she yanked it a couple of times to make sure it was secure. Striding through the house, she double checked the backdoor and all the windows before retreating back upstairs to her room. Her stomach was finally unclenching, but the smell coming from the takeout bag from Karen was making her feel sick.

Picking up the brown bag with her fingertips, she dumped it on top of the trash bags littering the landing, before closing her bedroom door on the destruction. Sliding all of her new locks home, she turned to look at the rest of her room.

Through the remainder of one of her windows she could see the sun was finally starting to set on the horizon, streaking her red walls with orange and yellow flashes of light. She refused to venture closer, knowing that instead of the sunset she would see the blonde haired boy falling out of her window, before being swallowed by the darkness. Peyton never used to be bothered by the darkness, with the exception of the thunderstorm when Ellie was staying at her house, but a lot could change in 24 hours. Having spent the majority of last night under the police station's bright lights, followed by the clinical lighting at the hospital, Peyton could feel the fear rising in her throat at the thought of her room being plunged into shadows.

Reaching across, her fingers automatically flicked the main light on without her looking, before she crouched down to press her bedside lamp on, quickly followed by her bathroom light and the bare bulb hanging in her walk-in wardrobe. She stood for the longest time staring out onto the street from her distance as the orange streaks gently faded to be replaced by the glow of the street lights. The passing cars flicked their light onto full, illuminating her room sporadically as they drove past, throwing the black lines of her artwork painted to the plaster of the walls into obscurity.

Eventually the muscles in her legs began to ache, and she glanced down to the patchwork discolouration adoring her legs. Shuddering, she turned to pull out a large pair of sweat pants, turning over the waist band a couple of times to make them fit better, and locating one of Lucas' t-shirts she wasn't even sure if he knew she still had. Even though it had been stuffed in the back of her wardrobe for the longest time, it still carried the faint smell that was uniquely him, and it was enough to make her feel slightly safer.

Crossing the room, she sat on the edge of her bed, but even though she had been awake for going on 40 hours, she couldn't allow herself to close her eyes. The lines of her artwork seem to be bending in the lights, blurring into unknown shapes and causing her to flinch involuntarily.

Diving back into her wardrobe, she immediately located what she needed to solve the problem, focusing all her attention onto her new task and allowing her mind to go blank.

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Let me know what you think x


	3. Chapter 3

A/N - Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I love hearing your feedback. Because of that this chapter is slightly longer as a treat :)

As always I do not own OTH or any of the characters.

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Lucas barely slept, as his mind was transfixed with Peyton. Every time he fell into a deep sleep his body would jerk awake after ten minutes with a rush of adrenaline, a cycle that was quickly giving him a headache. Giving up at half five, he dressed quietly, slipping from his room and driving over to the Rivercourt.

After shooting a couple of free throws, missing four out of the five, he gave up and instead sat on the wooden tables off to one side. Looking out across the water, he watched the sun slowly rise in the sky, turning the deep black into a rich pink before clearing to a bright blue.

Glancing at his watch he decided that it was a decent enough hour to go around to Peyton's, as he wasn't going to relax without knowing that she was okay. Sliding off the table and jumping back into his car, Lucas drove down the empty streets without even thinking about the route. Pulling up by the curb he was surprised to see that her bedroom light was on, filtering out through the open curtains.

Pulling his keys from the ignition, sliding them into his back pocket as he walked across her porch, Lucas automatically reached for the handle expecting to be able to walk straight in, but instead almost collided with the locked door.

"Peyton?" he called, loud enough for her to hear that it was him, whilst simultaneously knocking gently. Pausing for a moment, he could feel the tension crawling up his throat as a flashback from the previous night came flooding back. "Peyton!" he shouted louder, knocking more urgently and holding his breath. From somewhere above him, he could hear a window being pulled open, and a clink of keys as they dropped down onto the porch.

Staring at the small bunch, he figured out which one was for the front door, slightly relived that she wasn't ignoring him, and he relaxed his tense shoulder muscles. Closing the door behind him, and hearing the reassuring click as it locked, Lucas tread the familiar steps up to her room, running his fingertips up the smooth wooden handrail. He noticed the still full bag of food on top of the bin bags, and he instantly knew she hadn't eaten anything. Taking a deep breath before pushing open her black bedroom door, he heard a series of clicks, followed by the rattle of a chain before the door swung inwards on its own accord.

"Thanks for the heads up with the keys," he joked sarcastically, trying to break the tension as he stepped foot inside her room and suppressing the gasp that threatened to escape his lips. "Wow, erm... it's bright," he commented, taking in the completely white room for a second before looking at Peyton, who was currently painting the edge of her wardrobe door. Gone was her list of missing records, gone was the list of boys Brooke had written, and her artwork was nowhere to be seen.

"Yeah, well he's still out there. I really haven't been able to sleep for 48 hours. Thought maybe I'd try to paint the shadows away," she mumbled in reply with her back towards him. Her clothes were covered in white paint splatters and her blonde curls hung limp around her shoulders. He noticed that her hand was shaking holding the brush, and he closed the distance between them.

"Peyt..." he breathed, and her eyes flickered towards his for a split second. Reaching out, he took the brush from her hand, dropping it onto the dust sheets without looking, and taking a small step towards her. Usually he knew exactly what she needed with just one look into her eyes, but her walls where still up, shielding her emotions from him to the point where he felt blind. Responding instead to her body language, he gently pulled her against his chest and he felt her muscles tense.

"Every time I close my eyes I see him there," she muttered into his shoulder, her fingers slowly coming to rest against his chest above his heart and he felt her slowly relax in his arms. "I can't go to school and have all of them staring at me too."

"Well, we won't go to school then," he whispered, pressing his lips to her forehead whilst pulling her closer. "Come on. Let's leave this mess behind and go to my house instead."

Lucas felt her nod against his chest, and he kept his arms around her for a moment longer, before pulling back and smiling at her. Her attempt was weak, _'But at least she tried,' _he thought, walking back down her stairs and slamming the front door closed.

The journey to his house was quiet, considering the first thing Peyton did once in the car was to switch the radio off. Lucas raised his eyebrow at her but didn't say anything after noticing her green eyes flashing in panic. Threading his fingers through her slender ones, he gave them a reassuring squeeze as he pulled into the drive.

Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he noticed that her eyes continued the flicker up and down the street, and she visibly jumped when a dog starting barking a few houses down. He pulled open the front door, and she immediately broke free from his gentle hold.

"I just need a minute," she whispered, bolting through the house, and Lucas heard the bathroom door slam shut. Letting out a small sigh, he turned to lock the front door, before following her at a more sedate pace.

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Leaning her back against the bathroom door, Peyton felt her ragged breath rip through her chest and she slid down to the floor, whimpering as her bruised muscles protested. She felt safer inside Lucas' house, just knowing that he was on the other side of the door, but that feeling was breaking down her walls, and she couldn't allow that to happen. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself upright, leaning against the sink and taking in her paint splattered appearance. Two day old mascara was still smudged around her eyes, making Peyton glance around the room trying to locate some make-up remover. Ripping open the packet of wipes, she began rubbing at the marks with shaking hands.

Behind her, Lucas clicked open the door, and she could see him watching her in the mirror. "Peyt..." he breathed out, crossing the small space separating them, spinning her around and taking hold of her wrists.

"It won't come off," she threw back at him, trying to free her arms from his grasp, but his skilled fingers removed the make-up wipe from her hand, and gently stroked the corner of her jaw with it, smearing the paint.

"Yeah you're right," he eventually conceded, looking down into her green eyes for a split second before she glanced away. "You're going to have to have a shower."

"I can't," she muttered under her breath, pulling away from him and retreating to the corner of the room. Lucas gave her a questioning look, and she knew she had to explain herself. "Every time I blink I see him there, and every noise makes me flinch. There is no way I can have close my eyes under the noise of the water," she mumbled, wrapping her arms around her chest in an attempt to stop the fear rising in her chest.

"Oh..." Lucas replied, taking in her body language and this time not resisting the urge to pull her against his chest. "How about if I stay in the bathroom with you, will you try?" he whispered into her lank curls, and he eventually felt her nod slowly against his chest.

"All... alright, for you" she agreed, stepping backwards out of his hold. "Turn around whilst I get changed," she whispered, not wanting him to see the black bruises covering her body.

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Smirking at her, causing her to roll her eyes at him, Lucas turned on his heel, locking the bathroom door securely, before reaching over the side of the bath to twist the taps on. For a split second he saw the fire return in her eyes, and that gave him hope. Behind him he could hear the sounds of her clothes hitting the floor, before the shower curtain moved, and he sat on the edge of the bath.

"Luke," he heard her whisper over the sound of the water, and her hand shot through the gap in the curtain trailing across his shoulder, and he instantly knew what she wanted. Twisting around slightly, he wrapped his hand around hers, linking their fingers together and not caring in the slightest that water was trickling down his forearm and dripping from his elbow.

"So... what do you think about Haley being pregnant?" he asked, hoping to distract her and he felt her fingers loosen their grip.

"Its crazy right," she replied, giving his hand one last squeeze before letting go and beginning to shampoo her hair. "Hang on, how do you know about it? You weren't at the press conference the other night."

"Er... she kind of told me earlier in the week, after the Benefit Concert," Lucas eventually confessed, pulling his arm back out of the curtain and standing up to wipe it against the towel. "I couldn't say anything until she had told Nathan, and she was _so_ afraid to do it," Lucas tailed off, thinking about is best friend and her life changing news. In a few months he was going to be an uncle; he had learned from the best and he was going to put the knowledge to good use.

"Lucas!" he heard Peyton's voice suddenly break through the silence of the room, and he saw her fingers grasp at the curtain. In that one word he could feel how much she had been holding in and he moved quickly, pulling the curtain back, just as she fell into his arms and they both crashed to the floor.

The water clinging to her skin soaked into his t-shirt, and with her wet hair pooling against his shoulder, she buried her head into his neck. Lucas soon became aware of the hot tears hitting his skin, as sobs ripped through her body causing her slender frame to shake in his arms. Pulling her closer into his chest, he began whispering nonsense into her ear, whilst reaching up to grab the large bath sheet from the rail, wrapping it over as much of her skin as possible.

"Peyton, baby, it's okay, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere," he whispered, rubbing her back gently and he felt her shiver. Grabbing a corner of the towel he began wiping away the droplets of water, hoping to warm her skin up, and for the first time noticed the shape of the long black bruises covering her shoulder. Moving the towel away from her back, he could see the same shapes standing out against her creamy skin in sections on her ribs and hips.

Through her tears she felt Lucas' body language change underneath her, and she blindly grabbed for the towel before sitting up slightly to look him in the eyes. His usually deep blue eyes were ice cold, and she noticed his fist clench as his eyes trailed up her legs, causing her to blush under his scrutiny. Glancing at her, and silently asking her to trust him, she watched as his fingers straightened, coming to rest against her thigh and a current of electricity shot through her system, until she realised what he was looking at. His fingers rested against the bruise, feather light, as he put two and two together.

"Peyton..." he choked out, his mind rejecting the idea and he felt vaguely sick. "Did he...?"

Pulling her legs against her chest, dislodging his fingers, she wrapped the towel closer around her chest, knowing exactly what he was asking. Tears flooded into her eyes again, and she shook her head the smallest degree, hearing Lucas immediately letting out a sigh of relief. "You got there just in time," she confirmed, glancing up to him and she saw the colour flood back into his eyes.

"Oh, baby," he breathed, pulling her protectively against his chest before finding another towel to wrap around her. Another shiver ran down the length of her body as her wet hair dripped down her spine. "Let's go and find you some clothes," Lucas whispered, reluctant to let her go, but forced himself to stand up. Holding out his hand, Peyton stretched out her legs, gripping the towels with one hand and wrapping her fingers around his. "I'm not going anywhere," he raised their joined hands, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand.

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Let me know what you think xx


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys, I know its been ages since I last up-dated, but I have been really busy and the end of this chapter would not get itself down on paper. Hopefully it read okay :)

As always I do not own OTH or any of the characters x

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Waking with a start, Peyton felt Lucas' fingers brush against her hip gently as he moved instinctively in his sleep. For a moment, while her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, she felt safe and relaxed, but that quickly changed when she flinched at the shadow underneath his desk. Scrambling across the bed, causing Lucas' fingers to slide from her skin, she grabbed for the lamp on his bedside cabinet. A soft glow spread across the room, filtering through the shadows and Peyton sat on top of the pillow, pulling her knees into her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

Besides her Lucas began to stir, scrunching his eyes up to the unexpected brightness of the room. His blue eyes opened groggily, quickly assessing her body language and shuffling to sit up next to her.

"Sorry," Peyton whispered, her eyes still flashing around the room and she pulled the sleeves of his grey hoody down over her hands.

"Don't worry about it," his voice was rough from sleep and he rested his head back against the headboard. "Come here," he mumbled, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her rigid form against his chest. "Baby, you have only been asleep for about an hour," he spoke into her hair after glancing at the clock.

Sighing against his chest, causing her shoulders to drop, Peyton shuffled closer so that she could hear his heart beat underneath his shirt and she felt his arms wrap around her tighter. "Sorry," she whispered again, feeling defeated and exhausted.

"You don't need to apologise," he muttered sleepily into her curls. "But this isn't healthy Peyt. Maybe you should speak to the doctor about getting some sleeping tablets or something," he continued, feeling the muscles in her back contract as she shook her head.

"No, I can't be trapped inside a nightmare with him," she stubbornly rejected, flinching at the thought and her eyes continued to flash around the room, eventually coming to settle on the edge of Lucas' jaw.

"Okay," he breathed soothingly, knowing that it had taken all his persuasive techniques earlier to get her to take a pain killer after he had noticed her wincing with every step. "How about we get out of town for a little while instead? The holidays are coming up in a couple of days, so it's not like we will be missing anything. It might help you to relax enough to sleep," he questioned, glancing down to her wide green eyes as she thought about it.

"Maybe," she eventually replied, blinking slowly as she fought against her body's need for sleep. A move that did not go unnoticed by Lucas, and he shuffled back down the bed keeping her against his chest, as he gently stroked the base of her spine.

"I'll make some enquires in the morning," he whispered, watching as her breathing evened out and her heart rate slowed. "Anything to keep you safe," he tailed off, pressing his lips against her forehead when she flinched, before closing his eyes again. Roughly half an hour until dawn, he thought sighing gently. Hopefully she would sleep for a while longer, and then he could formulate a destination for them.

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Taking a deep breath, Lucas opened his eyes wary about what scenario was going to greet him and he blinked in surprise to see Peyton still curled up against his side sleeping soundly. For the second day in a row Lucas had woken up first, and although it was unsettling to begin with, he began to think that they were finally making some progress. Reaching out to brush a stray curl away from her face, Lucas smiled when she groaned in response and burrowed her face further under the covers.

Rolling onto his back intent on getting out of bed, Lucas hesitated when her long fingers wrapped around a section of his shirt, stilling his movement. "I'm going to start breakfast," he whispered as an explanation, waiting until she relaxed once more before sliding out of bed and padding gently down the hall.

Pressing the button on the coffee machine, knowing that Peyton wouldn't be able to function without it, Lucas leant back against the strange kitchen counter and once again took in his surroundings. The morning after suggesting they get out of town for a while, he began by phoning Rachel, as he knew her family owned property outside of town. Many people may have thought that Rachel was a strange choice for a confidant, but Lucas knew that she had a good heart underneath her bitchy exterior. Discreetly explaining the situation, even though later Lucas found out it was all across the papers, it was Rachel who came up with the solution. In addition to the cabin in the woods that they visited after the school shooting, her parents also owned three other properties in the surrounding area and after calling around with the keys and addresses to all locations, she quickly left again. Her explanation being that Peyton could have the final decision as to where she would feel safest, and that way nobody else would know where they were.

Lucas was still impressed with how much thought Rachel had given to their problem in such a small space of time, and how clever the solution was as he began pouring coffee into two mugs. The property Peyton had chosen was a smaller version of the first cabin, in a state park near the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. With hardwood floors though out and a small cosy living room complete with open fire, Lucas had to appreciate Rachel's parent's taste.

Turning around to take the coffee back to the bedroom, he was surprised to see Peyton padding gently down the hall towards him. Her blonde curls still mussed from sleep, she stretched her arms above her head, causing his green shirt that she had taken to sleeping in to slide further up her long legs. The bruises marking her body had eventually faded, with just light yellow patches remaining. Blinking rapidly, Lucas realized he was staring and quickly looked away, concentrating instead on starting breakfast.

Hopping up on the counter, Peyton took a sip of her creamy coffee whilst staring out of the window at the crisp winter morning as a pair of squirrels jumped between the trees. Holding her breath as one took a terrifying leap across a wide space, Peyton smiled in relief as it landed with a flick of its tail onto a thin branch of the next tree.

"What are you smiling at?" Lucas questioned, tipping scrambled eggs onto a plate and glancing towards her as he rummaged in one of the drawers for cutlery. Tucking her hair behind her ear, Peyton pointed towards the source of her amusement as the pair continued to scamper among the leaves.

"Do you fancy going out for a walk today?" she questioned, accepting the plate and digging in hungrily, therefore not noticing when Lucas raised his eyebrow in surprise.

"Erm, sure, why not," he eventually replied, dropping the dirty pan into the bottom of the sink and finishing the remained of his coffee. "I think I saw a map of this area in the magazine rack, so I'll figure out a route while you get changed."

"Deal," she smiled, jumping off the counter with renewed energy and disappearing back down the hall much to Lucas' enjoyment. It was nice to see her relaxed and more like her usual self.

Bouncing slightly on the bed, Peyton rummaged through her bag for a clean t-shirt, pulling it over her head before brushing her curls out of her eyes. Grabbing Lucas' grey hoody, she re-entered the living area where he was pouring over the open map on the floor and tracing lines with his little finger. Her presence caused his blue eyes to flash in her direction and a smirk graced his lips.

"You do realize that as soon as we get home I'm stealing that hoody back so that it can be washed, right?" he joked, reaching out to grab at the material but Peyton was faster.

"That's what you think," she retorted, pulling it quickly over her head causing the hood to stay up in her haste, as Lucas stood and began closing the distance between them. "This is coming home with me," she laughed, retreating until she crashed backwards into the nearby wall.

"Oh yeah?" he questioned, resting his left hand against the wall to prevent her escape and her green eyes flashed up to his face. Watching her carefully, making sure not to push her too far, Lucas gently reached up with his right hand to slide the hood back, freeing her hair and smiling slightly before stepping away. "So I was thinking we could walk down to the Reedy Creek Lake. There is a proper trail, so there is no chance of us getting lost unlike Bevin and Skills, and it should only take about two hours depending on how fast we walk," he suggested, scooping the map back up and folding it neatly back into a square.

"Erm... sure," Peyton stuttered, trying to slow her racing heart and figure out what just happened. They had been sleeping next to each other for days now and nothing had even remotely happened, but something had changed. For a split second something had flashed behind his deep blue eyes just before he pulled away, leaving Peyton confused.

Shaking her head, Peyton pushed the feeling away as she walked towards the door, grabbing her hat and mittens on the way past. '_They were friends, nothing more,_' she reminded herself, watching quietly as he pulled his coat on and she smiled slightly before pulling open the front door and stepping out into the cold air.

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Let me know what you think :) x


	5. Chapter 5

A/N - I am so sorry that it has taken me forever to up-date any of my stories. I have had a really crazy last 8 months, and I've had no time, energy or creativity to write anything. Hopefully now that will change. As always I do not own OTH or any of the characters, and reviews will be gratefully appreciated.

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Crunching through the dried leaves, Lucas smiled as he watched Peyton delicately pick her way over the driest parts of the trail. Through the dense trees the Crabtree Creek could be seen, having passed the Lake about an hour ago, he knew that they must be almost back at the cabin. Up ahead the path widened out into a large clearing. Pausing at the edge, long enough for Lucas to catch up with her, Peyton's green eyes flashed in excitement around the field, as rabbit and squirrels darted through the long grass, and just at the top of a small rise a group of three deer could be seen grazing contently.

"Wow, this is beautiful," Peyton whispered, flicking her eyes once to his face before turning her attention back to the view.

"Yeah," he agreed softly, watching her out of his peripheral vision. Letting out a small breath, that he hadn't even realised he had been holding, Lucas took half a step closer just as she moved forwards again, almost skipping through the long grass. Laughing slightly, as he knew none of their friends would believe him if he told them about _Peyton Sawyer skipping_, Lucas lengthened his stride to catch up.

Suddenly, cutting through the peaceful air, a loud pop followed by an all too familiar bang resonated around the cleaning. The small woodland animals scarpered, with the rabbits bounding away towards the safety of the tree roots and the squirrels camouflaged themselves against the dark bark of the canopy. Unfamiliar voices bounced through the air, mixing with the barking of a couple of dogs.

In an instant Peyton was back at his side, clinging onto his hand the best she could through her mittens. Pulling her closer, feeling her panic, Lucas' eyes flashed back and forth looking for the source of the disturbance. From one dark corner of trees two black Labradors sprang forwards, whipping through the grass towards the small hill. Turning Peyton away from the dog's destination, he slowly began walking across the final part of the clearing, just as three large men with shot guns appeared following the dogs.

Feeling Peyton flinch, Lucas couldn't work out if it was because of the unfamiliar men, the guns or a combination of the two, and he felt anger rising in his chest. "Hey! What the hell are you playing at?!" he shouted in their direction, wrapping his arm around Peyton's shoulders.

"Pheasant hunting," One of the men replied gruffly, not breaking stride on the rough ground.

"Well you need better aim, as you hit a deer," Lucas' sarcasm was evident. "Also, I am pretty sure that hunting is illegal along public rights of way."

"Whatever," the first man muttered, slinging his gun over his shoulder and he was quickly followed by the other two.

"Well I will be sure to tell the park's wardens when I get back to civilisation," he threatened, but the men just carried on walking.

"Luke, let's just get back to the cabin," Peyton's voice cut quietly through his inner rage, and he tore is gaze away from the men, just as they reached their kill. Noticing that she was shaking slightly, he nodded, keeping his arm firmly around her shoulders and they picked their pace up, getting back ten minutes later.

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Blinking slowly, the dim room came back into focus just as Peyton rolled onto her back and looked up to see the underside of Lucas' jaw. "Hey, sleepy head," he murmured, glancing down into her eyes. "Are you feeling better?"

"Mhmm," she responded, stretching out slightly but not wanting to move quite yet. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Erm, about forty minutes or so," he replied, glancing at the clock above the roaring fire that Lucas had built to starve off the chill once they had gotten back from the walk. Peyton smiled at his efforts, as she had not been able to stop shaking after seeing the guns.

Sitting upright, wondering exactly how she had ended up curled up with her head on his knee, Peyton flicked her eyes toward the television when the opening credits of the Evening News drifted across the room. Lucas absentmindedly flicked the channel onto a sitcom, as Peyton collected up the used mugs from the table.

"I'll start dinner," Peyton offered, pulling a container of spaghetti out of the cupboard along with a jar of sauce.

"Alright..." Lucas stretched out warily, knowing that kitchen skills were not her strongest point. "Let me know if you need any help," he smirked, causing Peyton to stick her tongue out at him, just as his mobile began ringing.

Pulling pans out of the cupboard, and flicking the kettle on, Peyton leant against the work surface listening to odd words floating across from Lucas' conversation.

'_Hey Rachel... Yeah we're fine.' _The kettle reached boiling point, so she moved to fill the pan and throw in some pasta. _'Brooke?!' _Peyton heard him question, and she let out a sigh. It was clear where Lucas' heart still lay and he only thought as her as a friend. Locating a spoon and pushing all her feelings and resentment down, Peyton stirred through the spaghetti. Even through herself and Brooke were no longer friends like they used to be, she still wanted her to be happy. She would wait forever if that's what she had to do, or if Lucas needed her to let go, then she would do that too.

Loud swearing in the other room broke through her musings, and she looked up startled as Lucas burst into the kitchen, rambling and reaching around her to turn the stove off. "We need to go back home now," Lucas shouted, running from the kitchen up towards the bedroom, as Peyton looked on perplexed. "Quickly!"

"Whoa, wait... what is going on?" Peyton questioned, leaning against the door frame to the bedroom, watching as he balled up handfuls of clothing and stuffed them into the half empty bags thrown on top of the unmade bed.

"It's Brooke," Lucas answered, and Peyton raised her eyebrow. "Ian... Psycho Derek attacked her. She's in the hospital!"

"Oh my..." Peyton whispered, her knees turning to jelly at the thought that he was still out there, waiting for her and attacking her friends. "Brooke... is she alright?"

"I'm not sure," Lucas answered honestly, sweeping the room for their belongings and tossing them towards the bed. "Rachel said she was still in surgery, and the hospital staff wouldn't tell her anything as she isn't family." Lucas paused for a second to look at her, still holding the dripping wooden spoon until her knuckles were turning white. "Peyton, I need you to stay with me. Brooke needs both of us right now, and we have to get to her as fast as possible. Can you clear the living room, and make sure everything is switched off?"

Nodding numbly, her legs responded automatically, taking her to power outlets to turn all the plugs off and collecting the odd bits of clothing that had become littered around. Double checking the kitchen, before meeting Lucas and the luggage at the door, and he passed her leather jacket into her waiting hands.

"Are you okay to lock up?" he asked, holding out the keys before picking up all the bags and heading out the door to the car.

"Yeah sure," Peyton murmured, taking on last glance around the dark cabin. She knew that this little piece of heaven would have to end, but she hadn't thought that it would happened like this. Sliding into the passenger seat, Lucas revved the engine, setting off the moment her seatbelt was clicked into place. It was just over two hours to get home, and it was going to be a stressful journey for lots of reasons.

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Let me know what you think x


	6. Chapter 6

A/N - well this chapter has been 2/3 finished for a while, but job applications kinda took over my life so everything else was put on hold. Good news is that I now know where this story is heading, so it should make writing it a lot easier. As always I do not own OTH or any of its characters.

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"_Hey Rach,"_ Lucas spoke towards his phone, answering the call on his hands-free kit and flicking on the indicator to pull off the freeway. _"We are just getting off the I40, so we are about half an hour away,"_ he confirmed, as Peyton pulled her knees up into her chest and stared out of the window, watching as the skyline became more familiar. _"Have they said anything else yet..."_ he tailed off, flashing his eyes across the car for a spilt second.

Pulling the sleeves of the grey hoody that she was still wearing under her leather jacket down over her hands, Peyton tuned out of the conversation. She could help but feel slightly resentful towards Brooke for breaking into her little peaceful recuperation time. She hadn't objected when Lucas had decided they were going back home to support Brooke, as she knew deep down that they were still best friends even if they weren't currently acting like it, but she also knew that Brooke had encouraged Ian by kissing him at Rachel's party. That of course did not mean that Psycho Derek could attack her, but Brooke should be far more careful with her actions.

"_What was she doing there?!"_ Lucas questioned incredulous, cutting through the silence of the car and Peyton's thoughts. _"Oh, Brooke..."_ he tailed off, shaking his head. _"Yeah, I'll tell her. We will be there soon."_ He hung up, pausing to take a deep breath before glancing back at Peyton.

"What do you need to tell me?" Peyton questioned as the silence in the car began to stretch out to the point of uncomfortable. Her green eyes watched as Lucas ran one hand through his short hair as he tried to formulate a sentence.

"Erm... apparently Brooke was at your house when Ian attacked her," Lucas started, meeting her eyes for a second, before concentrating back on the road. "It was one of your neighbours who interrupted the argument, having recognised Brooke and her distress but not realizing it was Ian until after he had run off. Your neighbour reported that he has dyed his hair dark brown and now has a beard."

"What... Why was Brooke at my house? She must know from Rachel that we are out of town," Peyton questioned in wonderment. The two hadn't spoken properly in weeks, and Brooke hasn't been anywhere near her house since Nathan and Haley's second wedding.

"Rachel said she has been supervising the redecoration of your house following the attack, and Brooke has been organising new windows, doors and locks for you. Ian must have been watching her for days, and must have thought Brooke knew your location."

"Oh B. Davis..." Peyton trailed off, immediately feeling guilty as tears began to form in her eyes. "Have the police found him yet?"

"Not yet, as he had moved out of the motel that he had been living out of. They need a statement from Brooke as soon as she is out of surgery and is awake." Lucas stretched across the car and took one of Peyton's hands, resting them gently on the seat. "Don't worry, I won't let him get anywhere near you, ever again."

Nodding, Peyton turned her attention towards the road, willing the final part of the journey to pass quickly, but with anticipation rising in her throat.

Pulling into the hospital's car park, Peyton's eyes immediately began flashing around towards the other cars, checking each one was empty before moving onto the next. Lucas could feel the tension running through her, with her grip becoming vice-like on their interlaced fingers.

Sliding out of the car, both out of the same side as Peyton wouldn't let go of his hand, they began striding across the large car park towards the all too familiar entrance. "I feel like he is watching me," Peyton whispered, causing Lucas to wrap his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer into his side. Although he said otherwise, he couldn't help but feel the same. If Ian had been stalking Brooke for days, there was nothing stopping him from watching the hospital too, knowing that eventually either Peyton or himself would show up to visit Brooke. Worryingly he began to think that maybe it would have been safer for them to stay at the cabin out of harms way until Ian was caught.

Pushing all these feelings aside, Lucas instead kept extra alert until they were safely inside the building, and they found Rachel sat on one of the hard plastic chairs lining the corridors. Her elbows were resting against her knees and her red hair fell forwards around her face in long tendrils.

"Rachel," Lucas called gently as they approached so not to startle her. Her caramel coloured eyes shot up, searching frantically for a moment before springing to her feet and colliding into Lucas' body. Peyton watched her face, recognising the look of fear behind her eyes, and noticing the smudged eyeliner across her cheeks just as her thin arm wrapped its way around Peyton's neck, pulling her into the hug too.

"Thank god you're here," she mumbled, her voice resisted by Lucas' shoulder, and it was another few moments before she pulled away, glancing down the corridor worriedly. "Brooke has been in surgery forever and no-one is telling me anything because I'm not family. I mean, I don't even know how to get in contact with her parents, or where her parents are..."

"Yeah, that happens a lot with Brooke's parents," Peyton cut in, knowing from experience that they are always out of the picture. "I can fill out all her forms through, with her insurance details and social security number."

"Oh that would be great," Rachel took her seat again and picking the clipboard up from the chair next to her. "I've been staring at them for hours, but they still won't tell us anything properly unless we get her parents here."

Letting Peyton sit on the other available chair, Lucas folded his frame down to the floor, leaning back against her knees and turning his head every time someone appeared at either end of the corridor. "Hang on, isn't my mom still Brooke's guardian from when she was living in our house?" he questioned, looking up with hopeful eyes towards the two girls whilst pulling his phone out. "Are you two going to be okay if I just nip outside to give her a ring?"

"Yeah we will be fine," Rachel replied and Peyton confirmed with a nod. "And if not, I know Peyton here has a decent right hook on her," she joked, causing Lucas to smile as he made his way back to the exit.

Dropping her eyes back down to the forms and seeing that all Rachel had managed to complete was Brooke's name and current address, she could still feel the other girl's eyes regarding her silently.

"I am serious you know," Rachel broke the silence, causing Peyton to glance back up again. "You are stronger than you think, and this psycho doesn't stand a chance when he eventually decides to show his face again. Brooke must have learnt how to fight watching you considering the black eye she gave me."

"I don't feel strong," Peyton admitted, jotting down Brooke's birthday on the form before glancing up to Rachel's questioning eyes. "It's just... I can hold my own in a cat-fight, god knows I've had enough of them as proof, but Ian makes me feel powerless. When I think of that night I can still feel his hand around my arm... with the pressure on my bones... feeling like I was going to snap like a twig..."

Rachel's caramel eyes watched silently, as Peyton once again concentrated on the forms. "Well I think you have gained your own personal bodyguard from this mess," she commented, raising her eyebrows towards the blonde. "I don't think Luke is going to let anyone within ten feet of your without his say so."

"Yeah, well he's just being a good friend," Peyton replied, unable to stop the light pink sheen filter down her cheekbones.

"So how was your time at the cabin?" she questioned, scooping up her red hair into a knot on the back of her head.

"It was really good to get away from everything. Thanks for helping out," Peyton smiled. "It was just what I needed."

"Yeah, I bet it was," Rachel smirked, causing Peyton to roll her eyes at the innuendo. Silencing her with a flick of her wrist just at Lucas reappeared at the end of the corridor; Peyton watched his approach out of the corner of her eye. His long gait quickly covered the distance separating them, and a small smiled played on his lips when his eyes flashed in their direction.

"My mom is on her way," he spoke as he came within earshot, gently resting his hand against Peyton's shoulder protectively as he came to stand by her chair. "I guess now we just have to play the waiting game," he spoke rhetorically, and the two girls nodded in agreement, settling in to wait for some good news.

The wait wasn't as long or as painful as Lucas had envisioned. By the time his mom had made it to the hospital, and had hugged both himself and Peyton before giving Rachel a swift embrace too, much to her surprise, the doctor appeared in the corridor.

"Are you the friends and family of Brooke Davis?" he questioned, opening the door to a nearby private waiting room and ushering them in.

"Yes, I am Brooke's legal guardian," his mom answered, taking the clipboard out of Peyton's hands as they walked into the room, and handed it over to the doctor. "How is she doing?"

"The surgery went well," the doctor smiled, sliding a pen into the top pocket of his lab coat. "We were able to repair the punctured lung, strap up her ribs and set her arm in a plaster cast. Miss Davis will shortly be wheeled into recovery where you can all see her."

"Oh thank god," Peyton whispered under her breath, sinking down into a nearby chair, an action quickly followed by Rachel.

"However," the doctor continued, his eyes flashing around the small group, "As the person responsible for her injuries is still out there, we have placed a police presence outside her room as a precaution. I'm sure they will appreciate anything you can tell them in order to speed up the capture. A nurse will come and get you when Miss Davis is ready for visitors."

The door closed with a soft click, and Lucas immediately began pacing the small length of the room, running his fingers through his hair whilst deep in thought.

"Luke," his mom's voice cut through his musings, with her fingers catching his elbow as he walked past once again. "Are you alright?" she questioned.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he brushed off, glancing quickly over to where Peyton was sat with her hands buried once again in the sleeve of his hoody. "Actually, no." He changed his mind quickly, moving towards the door. "There is something I need to do. Mom, do not let Peyton out of your sight," he spoke directly, blocking out Peyton's reaction as it would make his decision harder. "Not even for a second. You too Rachel," he tagged on, moving swiftly for the door handle. "I won't be long..."

And then the door clicked close once more, leaving the three women confused and looking towards each other for an explanation.

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Let me know what you think xx


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